Displaying items by tag: GCW738

India: Ambuja Cements has commissioned a 4Mt/yr brownfield expansion of its clinker unit at Bhatapara, Chhattisgarh. The company confirmed the new capacity is fully operational, raising its consolidated clinker capacity to 66Mt/yr. Ambuja Cements has also increased its 2028 financial year capacity target to 155Mt/yr, up from 140Mt/yr, with the additional capacity to be achieved through debottlenecking.

The company will install 13 blenders across its plants over the next 12 months to optimise product mix and raise its premium product cement share. Planned logistics infrastructure upgrades are expected to improve capacity utilisation by 3% over the next two years.Top of Form

El Salvador: Cement demand rose by 22% year-on-year between January and August 2025 to 34.3 million 42.5kg bags, up from 28.1 million bags in the same period in 2024, according to data from the Central Reserve Bank (BCR). In August 2025, demand was 3.9 million bags, up from 3.5 million in August 2024. Director of the Planning Office of the Metropolitan Area of San Salvador (OPAMSS) Luis Rodríguez said “The main concrete companies are about to expand their distribution capacity.”

Holcim executive director for El Salvador and Nicaragua Manuel Arrieta said “We are seeing a 20% increase in our sales this year in volume. We have never produced as much as we did in the second half of the year and we foresee super-strong construction for the future, so we hope that next year we will be able to break a new record.”

Holcim operates two plants in Metapán and reported sales of more than 1.2Mt of cement in 2025. It has reportedly invested nearly US$80m over the past five years in expansion and sustainable technology. Cement imports also rose, with 614 million kg of hydraulic cements entering the country between January and October 2025. Guatemala was the top source at 193.2 million kg, followed by Vietnam and Japan. Total imports were valued at US$51.6m.

Rodríguez said that cement volumes, in addition to other construction materials, have increased by 60% through the port of Acajutla. Over five producers and importers now compete in El Salvador’s cement market.

New Zealand: Holcim New Zealand has confirmed it will sell its cement carrier MV Buffalo, a source of local employment, to Switzerland-based NovaAlgoma Cement Carriers (NACC) at the end of 2025.

A Holcim spokesperson said “Holcim has decided to sell the MV Buffalo and source a replacement vessel. The 27-year-old MV Buffalo is too large, inefficient and costly to run, requiring in excess of US$4.5m in repairs and maintenance over the next four years in order to remain seaworthy. The decision follows a comprehensive review of Holcim’s shipping requirements and operational costs. The review identified the need for a more modern, smaller and cost-effective vessel to maintain supply of cement to the South Island and lower North Island.”

The company began consultation to retire the MV Buffalo in February 2025, and has since confirmed future shipping will be managed by NACC. However, NACC must obtain a government exemption to operate the Panamanian-flagged NACC Vega in domestic waters.

The Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) has opposed the move and urged the government to reject NACC’s flag waiver application. Holcim has reportedly issued formal termination notices to the MV Buffalo’s 32 New Zealand-based crew, effective 28 December 2025. Union negotiations remain unresolved since October 2025 and have been referred to the Employment Relations Authority.

Southeast Asia: The ASEAN Federation of Cement Manufacturers (AFCM) has launched the 2035 AFCM Decarbonisation Roadmap, which it says is the world’s first regional decarbonisation strategy for the cement sector. The roadmap was announced during the 46th AFCM Council Meeting in Brunei Darussalam, chaired by Dr Chana Poomee and attended by cement association leaders from all eight AFCM member countries.

The roadmap sets a shared framework for systematic CO₂ reduction aligned with national climate policies and global environmental goals. Supported by the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), it is built upon four pillars: expansion of low carbon cement, transition to renewable energy across production processes and enhancing efficiency to reduce energy consumption, deployment of decarbonisation technologies such as carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), and development of new supplementary cementitious materials.

Member associations from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam said that national implementation will vary depending on local energy mix, policies, industrial maturity and material availability. The strategy could reportedly cut regional CO₂ emissions by up to 38Mt by 2035.

Pakistan: Since the closure of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on 11 October 2025, Afghan coal imports and cement exports have been halted, raising prices and prompting northern cement producers to shift to coal imports from South Africa, Indonesia and Mozambique. The move follows rising tensions between the two countries, with the cement sector among the most affected.

A manufacturer said Afghan coal is no longer available and ruled out using Iran as an alternative route due to the lack of banking channels and the impracticality of transporting coal. It said Afghanistan accounts for about 7% of Pakistan’s cement exports. Topline Securities reported that DG Khan Cement will continue using imported coal, while some producers have begun importing RB2 grade.

Insight Research has reported that Cherat Cement, Fauji Cement and Maple Leaf Cement are among the most exposed, with Afghan exports accounting for 9.8%, 5.8% and 3.1% of their sales, respectively.

Nigeria: The cement industry is set to reach a market value of US$1.44bn by the end of 2025, following a 9.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2020 and 2024, according to The Daily Times. The sector is projected to expand at a 7.9% CAGR between 2025 and 2029, with the market forecast to grow from US$1.33bn in 2024 to US$1.96bn by the end of 2029.

Growth is reportedly being driven by public infrastructure projects, urban housing and import substitution. Local producers have managed to maintain supplies, despite currency pressure, energy costs and logistics constraints. Firms are investing in alternative fuels, digital logistics and energy optimisation to manage volatility and support sustainability targets. However, long-term competitiveness will depend on regulatory reforms, energy stability and sustainable resource management.

Saudi Arabia: Al-Jouf Cement has signed a one-year, US$10m sales agreement with Towa Development to export cement to Syria and Palestine. The contract, effective from 30 November 2025 to 29 November 2026, reportedly represents over 14% of the producer’s total revenue based on its latest audited results. The company will supply all types of cement to Towa Development for export throughout the contract period.

China: Huaxin Building Materials Group will change its company name and logo from 4 December 2025. It said that the change reflects the company’s broader focus on building materials beyond cement.

US: Cement import capacity is continuing to rise despite a slowdown in demand and growing uncertainty over tariffs, according to a report by Argus Media. Cement supplier Ozinga initially expected  demand would bounce back after the November 2024 presidential election. CEO Marty Ozinga said “Then the Liberation Day thing happened. I think that really put a pause to a lot of projects, just enough to make it very disappointing for most of the year,” referring to the tariffs rolled out in April 2025.

Tariffs have increased costs for importers by US$5-10/t, said On Field Investment Research managing partner Yassine Touahri. Market analyst Ed Sullivan forecasts cement consumption falling by 5% in 2025 and dropping by a further 0.2% in 2026, hitting a low of 100Mt. He said longer-term growth is still possible, citing a potential market size of 140Mt by 2050 if past per capita consumption rates return.

With mortgage rates above 6% and affordability at record lows, residential construction is expected to remain weak. Sullivan said that industry utilisation is running at 76%, below the 80% that producers ‘would like to see’, and he expects imports to hit a bottom at 17Mt in 2026, despite new import capacity coming online.

"On the import side, capacity additions are not slowing down at all", even though demand for additional imports is much less certain than it was three to five years ago, LEK Consulting managing director Olivier Asset said.

Morocco: National cement demand grew by 12% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2025, supported by a strong construction sector. LafargeHolcim Maroc recorded consolidated revenue of US$255m for the quarter, also up by 12% from the third quarter of 2024, driven by higher sales volumes of cement and ready-mix concrete. Year-to-date revenue reached US$703m by the end of September 2025, reflecting a 12.5% increase compared to the same period in 2024.